Hello, everyone. I meant to put out a sequel to my previous RE story a lot sooner, especially since I had some season-based ideas bouncing around in my head. This idea isn't one of those, but it has been on my mind for a while. The Remake really intensified Leon and Krauser's rivalry, as well put some more focus on the former's trauma. Those two things gave me an idea that I've finally got around to outing into writing, along with some more Leon/Ashley fluff. This story is a direct sequel to my previous one, so expect some callbacks to it. I hope you all enjoy!

I do not own anything.


You're Strong Enough


"Well…could you teach me?"

"Huh?"

"Knife safety. Knife fighting. You could teach them to me. Seriously, I don't think I could find a better teacher. Or my dad could find me a better teacher."

While the idea had some merit, not to mention it tickled Leon's ego, he felt like it had to be turned down. A part of his mind told him to shut it down. That was the proper thing to do given his position.

That voice grumbled when he did the exact opposite. That was the reason why he was here, patiently waiting in this training room. The whole thing brought forth a sense of déjá vu that was so thick he could have sworn he could chew on it. Leon almost wished that he had some chewing gum with him to health sooth his nerves. At least he could also look more casual, which would hopefully put Ashley at ease. What would she think of him seeing him actually nervous? Nervous over something that seemed so…trivial?

He shook his head. This wasn't trivial. There was nothing trivial about this no matter how much he wanted to downplay it. There was a possibility that someone else would try to kidnap Ashley. She was the President of the United States' daughter, that position made her a target of countless people. Los Illuminados had gotten the closest, and fittingly, they were amongst the absolute worst that could have kidnapped her. Of course, they'd had insider help.

"Was it revenge by proxy!"

"Heh, would saying yes make you fight better than this? If so, hell yes!"

Leon still wondered if Krauser had been telling the truth about that. It was entirely possible, and it was equally possible he'd been lying to get Leon more riled up. Which worked, much to his chagrin. He'd already been fighting hard, but hearing Krauser say that doubled the furious strength already coursing through Leon. Looking at his hand, he could still remember the traces of that energy pumping through his veins. His hands flexed as he remembered his grip on his weapons, particularly his knife. The knife that Krauser had taught him how to wield-wield in defense of himself and his country. The latter had been forsaken by his mentor. Leon knew Krauser could be petty, but he drew the line, and let his disgust show when others crossed that line. The old Krauser he'd known would have been appalled kidnapping Ashley as proxy revenge against the government.

The old Krauser he knew…

"What? Missing me? Is it because you want me around, or because you need me to be there to train the little chick? We both know I'd be able to teach her far better than you could ever hope, rookie."

He bristled at the mental voice. It sounded so real and so close-from directly behind him to be exact. Giving into indulgence, he turned around, already knowing he wasn't going to see anyone. The wall stared back at him, silent as they always were. Still, Leon could have sworn he saw Krauser leaning against it, arms crossed over his wax board chest. He looked back with an amused glint in his eyes; knowing him, if he didn't bully his way through then he'd wait on the sidelines while giving "color commentary". On Ashley's performance and Leon's. It'd almost be like he would be trying to get them to turn their practice knives on him.

Despite the pain that came with it, Leon chuckled at the memories of him doing exactly that. Granted it'd been at Krauser's request, but he'd made sure Leon was fully ready to accept the proposal. The man seemed to want to make himself into Leon's sparring partner from the get go, but maybe he wanted to see if Leon would be worth his time.

The government may have deemed him to be so, but Krauser was of a different opinion, at least he was until Leon proved him wrong.

"Is that what you think you're going to do, kid? You're still a rookie, one rookie trying to train another one. Talk about laughable."

His mocking laughter reverberated through Leon's ears, yet it incited no great rage like it once did. The fact that he was talking to a mental projection might have had something to do with it. That was the logical answer to this-the logical answer to this thought-up conversation that he half couldn't believe he was having. Well, maybe he could believe it a little. He'd been through too much to count himself as entirely of sound mind.

Krauser stared back at him with those shadowy eyes. Leon's own were cool and focused, unwavering as he spoke. "I defeated you, didn't I? So I've earned the right. Besides, you were a shitty teacher anyone." The mental image cocked an eyebrow at him, another mannerism that he was sure the real Krauser would have done. His arms unfolded and his gaze intensified into a glare. Leon silently glared back, not backing down. He'd learned there were some fights you backed off from, and others that you couldn't or shouldn't back down from. Krauser believed in the same, but he'd always been more passionate about the latter.

"One day…I'm going to knock you flat on your ass."

"That one day's looking mighty far away, rookie. It'll never happen, kid."

"You said I'd never put a scratch on you, and we both I did exactly that. Six times. Those weren't all luck, they were me. They were the prelude to be me one day kicking your ass."

"Hah! Maybe, but you're still talking something far away, kid."

"You willing to bet I can prove you wrong?"

"Prove it to me, rookie. Make me eat my words with your actions."

"Oh, trust me, one day it'll happen."

And it had…but not in a way that Leon ever could have expected. Frankly, it was in a way that he'd rather not have had happen in the first place. Likewise, he'd never thought his service would be in the government as a special agent instead of as a cop.

"Um, for what it's worth, I don't think you'll be a shitty teacher. I mean, you gave me a great crash course in firearms safety."

The voice nearly caused him to jump out of his skin. On one hand, it was familiar to him, and very much welcomed. It was a voice that he'd come to take comfort in. Its owner had told him that the feeling was mutual. In this moment though, it utterly surprised him, sending his heart into a brief jolt; it too was a familiar feeling. He spun around, heart-racing and his hands rising in a near defensive manner. To his shock, they were caught. In the span of seconds, he felt an immediate impulse to break free of the grip, but in that same time, a feeling of warmth washed over him. It was a giant, stone wall that stopped the flood of adrenaline that was about to utterly consume him. The final cap came when he looked into the warm green eyes that he'd once seen filled with fear. Despite him being seconds away from unleashing his martial prowess, the eyes held no fear, only understanding.

Leon's arms lowered, partially thanks to Ashley. She smiled at him while he blinked at her like she'd just appeared from thin air. In fairness, to him she had seemingly came up from nowhere. She hadn't though, he was just lost in himself, a fact that she seemed quite aware of.

"Hey," she began. "Sorry about that. I…didn't mean to scare you. It's just…I…couldn't keep my thoughts to myself."

His hands fell, yet Ashley kept a light hold on them. Leon wasn't exactly complaining as he could have sworn she was once again pulling him away from the darkness he'd been staring at for the past several minutes. Sure, he'd been winning, but with Ashley's arrival, he remembered where he was.

He was alive. He'd proven himself right. He was here and so was she, much to his joy.

The onrush of feelings he felt were hastily focused into a single breath that he let out. "It's fine. If anything, I'm the one who should be sorry. You got here on time and come to find me talking to the wall like a crazy person."

"Hey, you're not the first person I've seen do that. Want me to tell you about all the times my dad talked to walls, furniture, and my stuffed animals in preparation for a speech?"

Leon's lips curled into a smile, and then he was chuckling-no-he was laughing. He heard Ashley giggling too, no doubt proud of herself for getting him to lighten up, and a little giddy at revealing information on par with nuclear launch codes. He was definitely going to have to keep his mouth shut about that one, especially in the presence of his boss. Leon had come to like the man, but he had a feeling this kind of information wasn't the sort the chief executive wanted people, including his best counter-bioterror operative to know about.

"As appealing as that'd be, it's probably for the best I don't get any details. The last thing I want is your dad firing me, having me disappeared, or shipped off to who knows where as a way to get rid of me." He answered once he got his laughter under control. Leon didn't stop smiling though, he had a big reason to smile. He also had something to look at. Stepping away, his blue eyes nakedly wondered over Ashley, taking in the sight of her workout clothes. They weren't anything particularly special: grey workout shorts and a white-shirt. Both were comparable to his own wear, black and gray camouflage pants with a jet-black muscle shirt. For him, it wasn't too much of a departure from what he'd wore to Spain. Ashley, on the other hand, was a different story.

This was a first for him, seeing her in workout clothes. They looked perfectly normal on her, yet Leon found he couldn't quite tear his eyes away from her, they instead continuously looked her up and down. He realized just how much of it he was doing when his eyes fell back on her face. Naturally, she had a slight blush on it as he met her gaze. Only for a minute though as she looked away; that too was only momentary as she looked back at him.

"Did I dress right? I-I can always go-"

"You're dressed fine. I just…guess it's a bit of a shock for me to see you like this." The truth came out remarkably easily.

Another bubbly smile shined on her face. "For the record, I'm not some extreme girly-girly who shirks at the idea of wearing something other than skirts and leggings. You've seen that with your own two eyes before."

That was true. They'd been given fresh clothes after they made it off Saddler's Island and back to civilization. Hospital issued clothes followed by civilian clothes that'd been put through every sort of health check imaginable. The same went for the clothes they had on with them when they made it back. While he'd gotten his pants and shirt back, his jacket was still gone forever, as was Ashley's.

"So, now that I'm here…can we get started?" There was a still some pep in her voice, but it was greatly tempered. Leon could see the excitement and anxiety swirling within her. Maybe on some level she still couldn't believe she was actually about to do this. He didn't blame her; he couldn't believe he was doing this either. A small part of his brain kept asking himself why the President allowed this.

Because he trusts you. Because she trusts you. Answered his subconscious, the part of it that wasn't brow beating him. He chose to listen to it.

"Right, your first day of knife training begins now." She stood at attention, a fierce determination swelling within her eyes. The sight immediately brought Leon back to Spain. It was the surroundings that kept the full darkness of those memories at bay. They weren't out there trying to survive another nightmare. They were here in this training, safe. Safe and learning how to survive another life-or-death ordeal.

His police training had been nothing compared to his military training. Leon knew there was a difference between them, but he hadn't realized how big that difference was until his "recruitment" into the D.S.O. It made all the training he went through as a cop look like daycare. His superiors had been right when they warned him that his police training would only be a mild help for the special ops training he was about to receive curtesy of Krauser. Some ahd gone as far as to warn him because Krauser would be his drill instructor, he was going to have to brace himself for the absolute worst. They'd all been right, much to Leon's amazement and chagrin.

He didn't want to be that way with Ashley.

First off, he wanted to be as different from Krauser as possible. Second, Ashley was not going to be taking on the same life-or-death, highly classified missions that he had. Leon doubted it, and at heart he truly didn't want that for her. That said, he was still here, teaching her what he knew. For her sake, for the sake of her future safety. That's what her father had ultimately agreed to.

"If there's anyone who can teach her how to protect herself, Agent Kennedy, I truly believe it's you."

They started off with the basics: the proper way to hold a knife in one's hand and to position it for an attack. It was easy to grasp, so easy that it was done and over with in no time. Ashley certainly knew how to hold a blade-she'd seen him do it enough. Her grip on the knife was strong, as strong as it needed to be. Leon wanted to say he was surprised, but he wasn't. She'd been through much, enough to give her the strength to grip the practice knife like it was a real one. She even knew how to twirl it into an upright and reverse grip. Leon couldn't help but chuckle at the little gesture. Hen then promptly one-upped her by tossing his practice knife into the air, then catching the handle as it descended.

"Showoff." The younger blonde laughed.

"Jealous? Want me to teach you how to do that?" Leon baited.

"Maybe after you've taught me how to actually use a knife instead of showing off with it." She answered. It was a good answer, one the teacher in him was happy to hear.

The next lesson was undoubtedly the one everyone would be excited about-actually using a knife. While they were using practice blades that looked an awful lot like real knives, the blades were plastic. Their touch would tickle, but that was the point of training. A dozen of those tickling sensations than actual blades sliding across flesh and splitting it open. Or at least one's own flesh, the enemy's was an entirely different story.

Again, Ashley picked up his instructions fast. It was becoming increasingly clear that she remembered the moves he'd made with his own knives. Her attempts to mimic him gave her a foundation that she quite nicely built on. Even if she needed a little correcting, Leon was glad that she was learning fast. Her slashing speed was decent; it needed to get better and that's what they spent several minutes doing. Sweat pooled on her forehead as she followed his instructions, slashing at his command. She never complained, even when his voice grew harsh. Her green eyes hardened with determination, and that determination was channeled into her arms.

Just like Leon had done.

He kept himself composed when he stepped over to help her. Her arms were growing wet with sweat, yet they still felt soft to touch. Their eyes locked a few times and Leon saw the fire of determination still burning in them, even as her clothes grew damp and her arms heavy with exhaustion. None of it stopped her from practicing, something that Leon found commendable. He knew he could be pushing her harder, just as Krauser had pushed him.

She's doing just fine now. She's not a soldier, she doesn't have to be. Not like you. He told himself.

By the time he looked back at the clock he realized it'd been two hours. She'd spent two hours practicing with nary a complaint. In those two hours, she'd improved. A voice in his head told him she was still a novice, but she was now a step or two above where she was before. It was impressive.

But she can still go further. You've covered slashing, now onto stabbing.

With a gulp, he handed her a towel to wipe herself. He waited for her to finish before he spoke up. "Next up, we're moving onto stabbing. Trust me, it's a bit different from what you probably think."

The change in her eyes was evident. "O-O-Okay, s-s-stabbing." She'd braced herself for this, and so far she'd done pretty well. Now that they were getting down to the specifics, Leon saw the lingering trauma in her. Ashley's eyes moved to the plastic knife. Leon dropped his knife and slowly reached forward, overlapping his hands with hers. She jumped, only to land back into his arms. "S-Sorry," she whispered looking away in shame.

"Don't be." Leon shook his head. "It's fine, Ashley."

"Leon, I asked you to train me in how to use a knife. I…I knew that was going to include stabbing. I braced myself for that, at least…I thought I did." She said in self-loathing.

"Hey, you're doing better than most people with trauma would. You're still holding the knife." It felt like a poultry offering, but Leon wanted to believe it was something. Her eyes shimmered as they met his. "That wasn't you, and that bastard will never have a hold on you again, Ashley." He affirmed.

Her breathes were deep, an attempt to calm herself down as she absorbed his words. Leon was glad that taken together, they seemed to work. The slight tremble in her hands ceased. Rather than close on the knife, Leon felt Ashley's hands unclasp. His hands had been covering hers, but in an instant, hers were covering-no-gripping his.

"You…really don't-"

"Never have and never will, Ash." Every time she smiled it was like seeing the sun poking through the clouds in that Godforsaken village. She didn't have a lot to smile about, but Leon tried to give her a few reasons to. In turn, she tried to do the same. That effect hadn't been lost despite their return to normalcy. Leon was quietly happy that it hadn't. Maybe he didn't want it to go away.

With her resolve strengthened they dove back into their training.

"Contrary to what you may think, stabs are somewhat rare in knife fighting. Make no mistake, you go for them when you see the opportunity, but don't become overly reliant on them."

"Because they require precision and aren't always a one-hit-kill?" Her eyes drifted to his abdomen where she'd been forced to stab him.

"Exactly. A single puncture wound can be lethal, but it pales in comparison to a slash wound which can be larger and more debilitating." He explained without missing a beat. "Still, stabs can be effective when used right."

"And by that, you mean hitting the right spot? Like a vital organ?"

"Exactly. You know where those are?" He was curious to how many she could name.

There was a brief hesitation before she pointed at his center-left chest. "Heart. Neck. Lungs. Brain. Especially the brain." They shared a laugh at the obvious nature of the brain as a critical weak point. Be it human or undead, especially undead, it was a spot to aim for. "Did I get the right ones?"

"More or less. Those are all the best places to stab at an opponent, but they're not easy to hit, especially the heart and brain." Leon affirmed and explained.

"Aaand what about throwing a blade at them?" She asked with curiosity.

He took a brief second to chuckle at that. "That could work too, but only if you've got good enough aim and you're fast enough to take the shot."

"Think I could do that?"

"…Show me what you can do."

"Huh? L-L-Leon?"

Smirking, he took several steps back putting almost ten feet between them. "Throw your knife at my head." He commanded.

Her cheeks puffed out. "You know I can't do that, Leon."

"Just try your best. Let's see how far along you are at it." He explained.

Ashley laughed again. "You could at least try to act like this isn't a chance for you to show off, ya' know. Then again…you do look pretty cool when you do." Another round of mutual laughter followed, ending as Ashley raised her arm with the clear intention to do as he asked. Her eyes narrowed as they focused on him. Leon could feel the small amount of intensity her focus brought him. For a fraction of a second, he was reminded of Clair back in Raccoon City.

Leon had at times wondered if he was just repeating history with Ashley, but that inner voice told him that this was different. Ashley was truly starting from nothing, no prior training from a protective and capable older brother. Instead, she just had him.

When she moved, Leon saw it. To his eyes, the throw was practically slow-motion; he knew that was a testament to how skilled he was. The way his arm automatically moved to parry it was further testament. He heard the plastic blade hit the floor a few feet away. Almost every cell in his body screamed for him to lunge forward, seize on the opening that Ashley had left for him. He saw the tensing of her body, it made him realize that he was ceding too much control to his combat instincts. "I'm sorry about that." He said in realization.

Yet again, that smile came to her face, radiant as ever. "It's fine. It's not like you tried to jump me, though if you did I'm pretty sure I'd have been able to get away from you. Can't say I'm proud of it, but I've learned a thing or two about running."

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Sometimes running away can save your ass." He knew that lesson well, one of the many he'd learned in Raccoon City. It'd been refined in Spain where he and she had to choose some of their battles carefully. After handing her back her knife, their lesson got back on track. She wasn't detoured by her expected failure. Leon did wonder if somewhere in her mind she dreamed of hitting a perfect bullseye with a knife as she'd seen him do a dozen times. He had a feeling that would be a day he'd feel especially proud of his former charge.

Seemingly another hour passed. Knife combat had given way to physical combat, namely what to do if someone attempted to grab her. He'd given her impromptu lessons back in Spain, but these were the full thing. Those start up lessons came back into her mind as he gave her the full thing.

He allowed his arms to be twisted and pulled as she followed his instructions. At times, he occasionally broke out of her grip to show her where she was going wrong, or what to do if her grip was broken.

The next time he glanced at the wall-mounted clock, he wasn't surprised to find that it was almost five o'clock. They'd been training for almost four hours. The sweat pouring down their skin and their (mostly Ashley's) heavy pants were certainly proof that they'd been at this for a while. Leon figured that maybe they'd been at it long enough to call for a break. He was frankly amazed that he hadn't thought of it sooner.

That's because Krauser would run your ass ragged for a whole damn day without stopping. He'd come in at sunrise and the next time Leon saw the open sky it'd be pitch-black with the stars and moon out. Before he knew it, a half-humorless laugh tumbled from his lips. By the time he realized he'd let it slip out, it'd been noticed.

"Um, hey, Leon? Do you…um…"

"Do you want to take a break?" He kindly asked.

She gave him a rather cute little smile. "I was going to try to ask for your sake more so than mine. I…didn't want to sound weak or whiny."

"You're neither, especially after the last couple of hours we just spent together." It didn't surprise him that she'd been somewhat aware of how much time had passed. As she'd done in Spain, she powered through whatever exhaustion ate away at her, this time with a drive that he was happy was rooted in a more positive place. "Come on, I'd say a little break is fine."

Side by side they sat against the wall, letting a warm blanket of relaxation fall over the two of them. It was welcomed, especially when they found themselves drifting toward one another. Every time their eyes met, they couldn't help but smile, Leon couldn't help but smile at the sweaty yet still radiant face of the woman he'd risked life and limb to rescue. Seeing that lively smile on her face reminded him why it was all worth it, and why he'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

"Hey, Leon, if you don't mind me asking…what's been on your mind today? Is it…your…former mentor?"

She knew there was a story to him and Krauser. He remembered the hug she'd immediately given him when he simply told her that he'd been his mentor. It was warm and soothing, lacing with an apology for something that was totally out of her control. Leon had deeply appreciated it, and he'd appreciated her not prying too deeply into the matter. Maybe he hadn't been ready back then, not yet. But now was a different story. Not to mention on some level, he realized that maybe he wanted her to know. He'd opened up to her about himself in various ways and this would be another such thing. Leon would also argue that she had a loose connection to the man given his role in kidnapping her. Was it possible that she wanted to know about him, possibly so she could know more about him?

He didn't have a problem with any of it. "Yeah. As much as I want to say otherwise, I was…thinking about him. About the training he put me through in a room like this." His gaze turned to the training mat-covered floor. Faded blue turned to dark gray, splotches of red dotting the surface. "I've never been beaten down and broken that much, but…in the end, it helped me make it through the missions I was given." A stiff laugh rung from his lips. "Not that I let Krauser know that. There were some things about his training I still disagreed with." He took a deep breath, feeling more relaxed as he continued to speak. It dawned on him how much he'd been holding in; now was probably the time to start letting some of it out. "When I agreed to train you, I vowed that I was going to be different. I didn't want to break you down like he did me, even if it…"

Silently, she reached her left hand out and gently grabbed his right hand. Leon immediately squeezed it, feeling a flood of tranquility utterly consume him.

"What was he like…before?" She gently asked.

"An asshole." He humorful said. It got a laugh out of her, one that grew when he looked to her and added, "No, seriously. He was one of the biggest assholes I'd ever met. All that said, he…he had honor. He had a code that I respected. Even if he had a twisted way of showing it, I knew he cared about people. He cared about me in his own twisted way. I knew in how he pushed me so hard."

"Sounds like the tough love type." Ashley remarked.

"You know, that pretty much fits him. Although I'd say he was big on the 'tough' part." He freely conceded.

"You know, he sounds a lot like those military hardcases that you always see on TV. I know there's a difference, but…"

He picked up on her open-ended statement. "That was him. He didn't let up until you were gasping for breath and looking like a beaten dog." His expression turned wistful as he gazed upward toward the ceiling lights. "But you knew how to bite, and bite hard. That's what he took pride in, even if he didn't show it."

"Yep, definitely sounds like the tough love type."

Looking back at her, he couldn't help but laugh. Their hands remained interlaced as they laughed together, their voices lightly echoing throughout the room. It died down as they realized the conversation was inevitably going to have to move in one direction.

Ashley's curiosity was showing, but she still kept some control over it, no doubt out of respect toward him. "Leon…what happened to him? Why did he kidnap me? Why did he…why did he do it? I'm not going to sit here and say that the country's absolutely perfect and no one could ever turn against America. I know better than that." Her words carried a type of seasoned wisdom that came with adulthood, and an awareness of the various shades of gray that existed in the world. Since Ashley grew up in politics, Leon couldn't say it was shocking; it gave her a maturity that he found respectful.

Knowing her, he had a strong feeling that she'd feel the same way about what happened to Krauser as he did. Ashley hated the thought of people dying, and that certainly would have included soldiers who pledged their lives to the country and received little for it except abandonment.

"Honestly, I don't know, but…I can venture a guess. There was a mission to South America, Operation Javier. Whatever happened there…Krauser lost his entire team and was abandoned. From what I've been able to gather…it involved BOWs."

Her face turned slightly pale. "Like…the ones we encountered in Spain? Like…the monsters you fought in Raccoon City?"

He nodded. "Again, I don't know the exact details. I don't think anyone wants to give them to me because some of them think I might turn traitor like Krauser did."

"You wouldn't." When he looked at her, she seemingly realized what she'd seen. Her cheeks turned light red as she looked away, attempting to come up with a more sophisticated answer.

Laughing Leon decided to save her the potential embarrassment. "Thanks."

Her smile was brief. "So…him and his team were sent to fight monsters, got killed, and then he was basically left for dead. I…I don't blame him for wanting revenge against the government."

It was his turn to be quick on the response. "That was the initial reason. By the time I fought him…he didn't care. He didn't care about the men that originally drove him to turn." His eyes drifted to his right, where he found his hand and Ashley's were still interlaced. He could hardly feel the sweat that once coated their palms, only the warm that now flowed between them. "The power he sought…it consumed him until he forgot about them." Reluctantly, he pulled his hand away from hers. He stared at his empty palms-for a moment they weren't empty, they held the dog tags of Krauser's team. Leon heard their jiggle in his ears. "You know that old saying about how power corrupts? That's what happened to him. It's the second time that I saw someone so utterly consumed by the power of a virus, but…in the end there was a little bit of the man I knew left."

She was silent for a moment before voicing her thoughts. "The second time, meaning there was a first…I guess that was in Raccoon City, right?"

Leon nodded. "I told you about Sherry, right? Her father, Dr. Birkin, was the creator of something called the G-Virus. He took it to save himself, and it turned him into a monster straight out of nightmares. It was easily one of the most terrifying things I'd ever seen, and that was counting all the monsters and freaks I'd fought through before." He closed eyes feeling the return of the legion of nightmares that plagued his dreams for the last few years. Leon beat them back, having grown better in doing so. "I can imagine Krauser fighting monsters like that, I can imagine his anger at seeing his men killed by them. What I…what I can't is him becoming obsessed with the so-called power they had. I think that was just his trauma turning to insanity."

"Maybe it did. I mean, to be in a situation like his…maybe he did go a little crazy." She offered.

Leon snorted. "I'd say more than a little. Ashley, you're lucky you weren't there to listen to his rants. It was just…" He felt his hands tighten up. Sorrow mixed with anger. "When it comes to viruses, there's no great power. Just…inhumanity, giving up everything about yourself-your very soul. I can't imagine why anyone would want that, or convince themselves that it's the right thing to do."

"…Trauma does things to people, Leon. Others are just…twisted. I think we both know that, even though we wish we didn't." Looking at her, Leon was reminded that like him, she'd lost some sense of innocence, and it would never be fully recovered. Even if she believed in humanity, she knew that there was a darker side to it, an unimaginably wickedness that that could be bolstered by the most horrid of powers. "I know a little about the stupid and dangerous things people will do when they're scared. I'm no expert, but…I think I know a little bit." Darkness loomed over her eyes as she fell into her own less than pleasant memories. Leon knew they extended beyond just what they'd experienced in Spain. Ashley had a life before then, one that had been filled with its ups and downs. "That might have been Krauser. Just like those parasites ate people from the inside out, he was eaten up from the inside too. From the sounds of him, I don't think he wanted to admit it, especially to you."

On that, he definitely agreed with. Krauser had always been a proud man. Hell would freeze over before he admitted to ever being wrong. Either that or someone would have to beat him into submission like Leon had.

"Wanting power…I hate to say it, but that's a very real human trait. People will do a lot of horrible things for power. Sometimes they'll tell themselves they're doing it for the right reasons. Sometimes they might be right, and sometimes they might be wrong." Her hands laced together, tightening as she looked up at the ceiling. He recognized the look on her face. "All throughout Spain, I wished I was stronger. I wish I hadn't gotten caught. I wished I could do something more to help you. I wanted power so I could stop feeling so useless."

"Ashley," he began.

"If we have power, we can change the world, right the wrongs we might have been powerless against. Sometimes though, when we get that power, we just end up adding to them. A power that's meant to save becomes a power that terrorizes."

"Mighty philosophical of you." Leon didn't mean to sound corny, or worse, belittling, but he was somewhat surprised by the thoughtful words. They were words he agreed with.

Luckily, Ashley took his comment in strides. "Hey, I grew up with a state senator for a dad and a literature professor for a mom." Her voice rung with pride for her parents. Leon was sure they'd be proud if they'd heard her words, especially her father who knew the meaning if them bitterly well. "I think…Luis might have realized that and it's why he decided to make up for what he'd done. Maybe even he realized that no good could come from something like those parasites."

Leon looked up, shutting his eyes at a ping of pain went off in his heart. "The world could use more people like him. At least, I…want to believe that there are people like him out there."

"I'm sure there are, but more importantly, I know there are people out there who can and will take a stand against bioterrorism." Ashley affirmed in a soft yet confident voice. Drawn to it, Leon looked back to her and felt his breath temporarily leave him. Either knowingly or not she beat back the darkness that had been creeping onto them as their conversation continued. He became the center focus of her light as she looked straight at him with a beaming smile. "People like you, Leon. Your strength is the kind I wished for back in Spain, the strength of a human being. That strength was greater than anything those stupid bugs could throw at us." She reached over, grasping his right hand in her left. Once again, Leon immediately returned her grip, with a touch more vigor than earlier. "We're strong enough as human beings. We made it this far as we are, and I believe we can keep on going further the same way."

A part of him wondered who the "we" she was referring to meant. Humanity would have undoubtedly been the noble answer, and Leon would have taken it. That said…he had a strong feeling that she was referring to the two of them.

His heartbeat sped up as he quietly contemplated that more than anything, Ashley was telling him that he was strong enough to keep moving forward as a human being. He had scars, but he pushed onward despite them. If he let them way him down, beat him, turn him, Leon honestly would call that death in its purest form.

"Strength is everything. The weak can protect nothing!"

Loath as he was to admit it, Leon had to admit that the Plagas had made Krauser superhumanly strong. That strength came in exchange for his soul though. His men. His country. A worthwhile cause. He had none of it, thus making his power useless, just a ravenous abyss that had consumed him. That's what he saw when he fired back that there wouldn't be anything left to protect on the path he'd chosen.

Ashley's words swept through him like a mystical wind, further enforcing the words of resistance he'd shot back at his mentor.

"I've got you." He impulsively whispered.

"Hm?"

"I'll tell you about it one day." He defended. Given the mood, it probably made more so sense to explain it to her now. Maybe a part of him still wasn't ready. Not ready to reveal more of his heated clash with his mentor. Either maybe just not ready to admit how much the woman beside him had come to mean to him. His gut told him it might have been the latter. Despite that reluctance, he placed his other hand on hers. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught the blush of her cheeks. This was a move that she would have done, not him. "I don't think I'm some sort of hero. I don't think I'm too strong either, but…I want to believe that I'm strong enough. That I can be strong enough when it counts."

"You are, and…I think you're stronger than you may think." Her words were soothing yet possessed such penetrative power.

It almost felt like a reversal of when he found her after she ran off. His encouragement of her seemed to have gone a long way. She'd came a long way from that frightened girl that had nearly based his head in. As always, the memory brought a smile to his face.

"Well, I've got another reason to stay strong." He offered.

"Just don't think you have to be strong all the time. You told me that it's okay to be afraid, right? It's also okay to just…unwind a bit." When he looked at her, she looked away, a pink tint on her cheeks. It didn't take much for him to guess why, not that he blamed her.

Leon thought about unwinding after this. Ashley could have used it just as much as him. Most importantly, he felt a genuine desire to spend that unwinding together. Almost like a…

Stop. Stop. Don't go there. He repeatedly told himself. The backpedaling was made harder by the realization he was still holding Ashley's hands in his. Despite recognizing that he was reluctant to remove his hands from hers. "I'll…keep that in mind. It'll probably help me from ending up like Krauser. He really loved his work in the military, even taking mercenary missions in his downtime."

"Is that even allowed?" Ashley asked with mild curiosity.

He shrugged. "They let him get away with it because he was that good at his job. I once heard some people joke that Krauser's the type who'd actually be a little pissed at making it to retirement age. It'd mean no more field work."

"What about you? Sometime tells me you'd be fine with making it to retirement age." She jubilantly chirped.

"Heh, you're not wrong. Surviving that long…actually sounds like something worth striving for." It was. To make it to that ripe old age and leave behind a distinguished career, specifically having hopefully made a difference in the world. That was indeed a goal worth reaching for. Of course, it'd also be nice if he had someone to spend his twilight years with. Leon's eyes either consciously or subconsciously drifted down to their still interlaced hands. Common sense told him to remove his hands from hers, now, but he couldn't bring himself to. Ashley certainly hadn't asked him to take his hands off hers. "All of this…it's still easier said than done."

"Big stuff always is, but isn't that part of what makes it worth doing it?"

"Yeah, that's true. It always is." He the soft beating of his heart as he glanced back at her, catching her green-eyes stared turned his way as well. "Thanks, Ashley. I…I've…never had anyone tell me that before. I mean, I've heard people praise my abilities, but…it feels like you're doing something different. You're not talking to me as an agent."

"I've got a funny feeling most people haven't talked to you as anything but that, not even my dad." She offered with a slight downcast frown.

"You're mostly right. I've got a handful of people that have, and that number just got bigger thanks to you." Her cheeks flashed pink, a sight that he playfully chuckled at.

Maybe to bottleneck her embarrassment, she stood up. Surprisingly, she still had her hand clasped in his. With a smile, she pulled him up, a feat that surprised him. "Ready to get back to training?"

"I thought that was my line." He laughed. "So long as you can keep on going, so can I."

"Heh, I stole your line and you went and stole my mine. Guess we're tied, aren't we?"

"Then let's see how we can change that up." Finally, he found it in him let go of her hand. Leon felt the immediate loss of it, and he couldn't say he was happy about it. Looking back into her eyes after picking up their knives turned into a consolation prize. He supposed that another was seeing the ease in which she gripped her practice knife-it was a different from how she trembled earlier. "You've got the right strength." He murmured.

"Because I had someone to learn from, someone who taught me what true strength is." She replied, having clearly heard him. "Now, help me keep on honing it."

And build up mine. This time, he kept his words limited to his head. One day maybe he'd be able to say them to Ashley. She'd looked to him for strength in Spain, and he'd looked to her for the same. Here they were, back home, still doing it in ways that maybe they weren't quite ready to admit.

One day they might address that. One day, they'd address the unspoken feelings that he knew lingered between them. Those feelings gave them strength, and with that strength they would press onward, just as they had before.

Fin


Finally got this little story finished. It went through a couple of revisions, one of which included the ending involving Leon and Ashley going out for a dinner date and a certain someone making a guest appearance. I'll have to save those ideas for another story; I'm fine with how things turned out with this ending.

Just as Chris had Wesker, Leon had Krauser, the latter's rivalry I enjoyed more. Darkside Chronicles added to his character and did paint him in a tragic light in 4. That tragedy was there in 4 Remake, albeit in a different way. That mixed with Leon's little joke to Ashley at the end of the game came together to form this story. I tried to make the focus Leon coming to grips with Krauser's fall, especially as he took on his role as a mentor to Ashley. While she hasn't seen the more fantastical side of it, I wanted to portray Ashley as knowing a little bit about the idea of power consuming you having grown up in politics, where people can sink incredibly low to get ahead. It takes a certain kind of strength to hold onto your soul in the face of darkness.

With all the talk strength my mind drifted toward Street Fighter, whose themes ended up intersecting with this story. As it also happens, I've had a few Street Fighter stories on the brain, which I'll be moving onto after this one.

I hope you all enjoyed this story! Let me know what you thought of it, and until next time, take care, readers!